


Circumlocution

by FleurDEspoir



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Anomic Aphasia, Aphasia, Confessions, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleurDEspoir/pseuds/FleurDEspoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Robin has anomic aphasia and Chrom is a dork who's bad at reading between the lines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Circumlocution

“Chrom! Could I speak with you for a moment?”

The taller man turned upon hearing his name, a smile forming as he spotted his companion. Robin’s breath hitched as friendly blue eyes held his gaze, and for a moment he considered postponing this confrontation. But Robin had been holding this in for a long time - since before Emmeryn passed away. Now tension between Valm and Ylisse were on the rise, and Chrom was preparing to make a move. Robin didn’t want any lingering regrets clouding his mind when they began their march, especially considering any step could be their last. No, it had to be today, had to be now.

Chrom’s footsteps across the castle’s pristine tiled floor were accompanied by the sound of his Falchion clinking against his side as he walked back toward his tactician. “Of course. What do you need?” Light filtered in through the ornate windows, accentuating the elegance of the hallway they were in. Robin always felt awed by the intricate architecture, and occasionally he took breaks between his duties to take walks and admire his surroundings.

Currently, however, architecture was far from his mind. Instead, Robin’s attention was directed towards Chrom and the message he was hoping to tell him. He took a breath, readying himself, but hesitated as his mind quickly presented him with various conceivable outcomes of this interaction, many of which were negative.

Some of them were typical fears involving Chrom not reacting to the disclosure well, but the majority of them were centered on Robin’s fickle memory. As far as he could gather during the late nights he spent researching his condition, amnesiacs should have no difficulties remembering new information after they lose their old ones. This, however, only applied to Robin to an extent. While he had little trouble recalling events he experienced after awakening in that grassy field a few years prior, Robin often found his memory failing him in an unexpected area: his vocabulary.

Randomly throughout the day, Robin would forget the names of things he was familiar with: colors, animals, places, even the names of his close friends. It was as if the words completely vanished from his mind midsentence, leaving him to hurriedly avoid the topic or find a similar word so as not to make a fool of himself. Most of his comrades had caught on and gave him little grief about it, but the thought of how incompetent he must appear to be still made him squirm. This moment in particular was a pivotal one, and he prayed that his mind would stay sharp enough to properly express himself.

"There's something that's been on my mind as of late," Robin began, scanning the hallway to make sure they were alone, "and I don't think it would be fair to keep it from you any longer."

Chrom let out a soft chuckle. "I'm sure the mind of genius such as yourself is always occupied with something." If he noticed the rosiness that suddenly tinged Robin's pale cheeks, he didn't let on. "And you know you can tell me anything."

Robin just nodded, attempting to ignore the knots forming in his stomach. Instead, he pushed on, knowing that there was no point in delaying what should have been said months ago. "It's about you. Or rather, my feelings for you."

Robin swore he saw Chrom's brow crease when he said that, but the man merely replied with, "Go on."

"W-Well, as you know, we've grown quite close during the short time we've known each other. In fact, after only a few fortnights, I considered you to be my best friend." He paused as Chrom nodded with a sheepish grin, an indication that he had felt the same. "But after some time, my feelings for you evolved again, this time into something greater. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but, Chrom... I-"

Silence overtook the moment as the two men stared at one another, the taller one with a patient curiosity and the shorter one with increasing alarm. Robin's tongue had locked into place and the word he sought had abruptly vanished, leaving him to deal with his growing embarrassment. He clamped his mouth shut, horror trickling through his system. _Not now. Please, Gods, not now!_ Of all the moments his impediment could have affected him, it had to be now, during what may arguably be the most pivotal moment of his life? He knew there was a specific word he had to say, one that was like no other. There was hardly a way to walk around this - there was just no substitute. Unfortunately, Robin had no other options. Licking his lips, he tried a less direct approach.

“I care for you deeply, though it’s different than what one comrade would feel for another. It’s... Close to affection, b-but not quite... It’s more than adoration, and...” Robin deflated with each word, knowing that they were nowhere close to what he truly desired to say. Chrom wasn’t exactly the best at reading between the lines, and there was certainly no way he’d be able to decipher Robin’s muddled confession. He didn’t take pride in giving up so easily, but he knew when to back away from a losing battle. Lowering his gaze, Robin muttered, “Actually, forget it. I’ll have to tell you when we’re both a little less busy.”

Robin spun away and began to march back down the hall, his cheeks noticeably contrasting his snow-hued hair, but a gloved hand suddenly found itself on his shoulder, halting his escape. With a firm grip, the hand turned him back toward Chrom and that friendly, encouraging smile of his. “If there’s anything I’ve learned about you in the time that we’ve known each other,” he remarked, “it’s that you never do something without reason.” Robin parted his lips to interject, but the man continued. “You seemed serious when you approached me. If this is important to you, I’ll stand here all day until you can get me to understand.”

For a few moments, all Robin could do was stare. As cheesy as it was, Chrom’s little spiel had filled him with an indescribable joy. His genuine concern for the people he cared for was one of the many things Robin cherished about him, and Robin knew from the light squeeze his shoulder received that Chrom had meant every word. Nodding slowly, Robin blinked and gathered his thoughts. He still couldn’t think of the word he needed, but perhaps he could express himself another way.

“...my feelings for you were confusing at first, even to me,” Robin began after a short time, “and sometimes they still are. They make me want to be near you almost constantly, even when you’re being foolish. You fill me with such elation that sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I’m walking through a dream. Thoughts of you try to distract me all throughout the day, and usually I let them because even the thought of you makes me happy. I like all of my friends, but... You’re more than that to me.” He noted how Chrom’s eyes were beginning to widen, how he seemed to be clinging to every sentence, but now the words were tumbling out in a rush, and Robin was unable to prevent the flurry of emotion that continued to spill from his lips.

“If could regain my memories at the cost of parting from you forever, I’d choose to stay by your side, because you’re the most precious thing I have. I’d give anything to ensure your happiness and safety, even if that means laying down my li-”

Robin was silenced as the gloves hand that once rested on his shoulder cradled the back of his head and guided him towards the mouth of its owner. In an instant, their lips met, and the remainder of his feelings had to be felt rather than heard. Chrom took it all in responded with fervent reciprocation, and within moments the two had communicated what felt like a lifetime’s worth of passion in those few moments in which their lips were clumsily pressed against each other.

The two assessed each other when they began to pull away. At some point, Chrom’s other arm had slipped around Robin’s waist and was now comfortably keeping him in place against Chrom’s chest. Robin, being the shorter of the two, had ended up placing his hands on the prince’s shoulders and standing on his toes in order to reach. Both men were somewhat flushed, and the only sound to be heard punctuating the otherwise noiseless hall was their slight panting.

Eventually, Chrom cleared his throat and offered a bashful smile, though he didn’t remove his hands from Robin’s person.

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘love’.”

After all that, the only thing Robin could do was chuckle. “Ah, that’s it. I love you, Chrom.”

“I love you too, Robin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I really wanted to finish this before I went on vacation. I really hope no one forgot about these two while they were playing Fates, because I sure didn't.
> 
> If anyone is curious about anomic or any other types of aphasia, www.aphasia.org and www.asha.org are just a couple of the really good sources out there.


End file.
